The Trouble with Lobbyists Running Your Campaign

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., finished an Ohio tour somewhat sullied by news — as reported in the Cincinnati Enquirer — that "at a morning town hall meeting in Lima, McCain was dogged by Democratic complaints that his campaign manager, Rick Davis, was a highly-paid lobbyist for German-owned DHL who lobbied Congress to accept a DHL proposal to buy Airborne Express. Airborne ran its operations out of the Wilmington Air Park in Clinton County, and now, DHL now proposes to leave Wilmington."

Now, comes news that the Russian military has crossed a border into Georgia. "Russia should immediately and unconditionally cease its military operations and withdraw all forces from sovereign Georgian territory," McCain said. "What is most critical now is to avoid further confrontation between Russian and Georgian military forces. The consequences for Euro-Atlantic stability and security are grave."

You may already know that McCain foreign policy director Randy Scheunemann represented the former Soviet republic of Georgia as a lobbyist between 2004 and 2006. (His lobbyist disclosure information can be accessed HERE, HERE, and HERE.

As of March 2008, Scheunemann no longer works as a lobbyist for foreign entities, but he remains a principal at his lobbying firm, which still has Georgia as a client.